專利組合強度與權利金支付之實證分析

Abstract

台灣半導體公司多半曾受制於專利訴訟或苦於支付高額專利權利金，因而多年來皆已投入大量人力及財力於建構專利組合。然而對於非傳統利潤製造單位之智權部門而言，因專利申請/獲准件數多半被視為研發部門之成果，若無法以專利件數以外之具體數字呈現出部門價值，則智權部門對於公司經營之重要性常被忽略。但衡諸目前通用之專利鑑價方式，在此一目的上皆有其未盡完善之處，如「成本法」無法表示出「投資」專利申請的意義，而其他方式大致上皆以「預估」之獲利或市場價值表示專利價值，無法評量智權部門在建構專利組合時對於公司已發生之實質貢獻。另一方面亦無法協助審視花費甚鉅所建構而成的專利組合是否達成當初所設定的效果－「降低專利權利金支出」，以資規劃或修正專利佈局策略。本文藉由實證研究，分析專利組合中可能影響專利權利金支出的因素，發現專利組合之專利分類廣度對於降低專利權利金支出的效果，較獲准專利件數明顯。此一發現不僅符合研究之初的假設，對於目前仍專注於增加專利組合件數的公司，可提供一個修正建構方向的參考，避免將有限資源虛耗在盲目申請專利上，同時亦可提供公司智權部門在無訴訟情況下，以專利件數以外之具體數字呈現出部門價值。

For decades, semiconductor companies in Taiwan have been harassed with patent litigations and/or suffered from high royalty rates imposed by others, either competitors or royalty-thirsty patentees. Many of them have been invested tremendous resources in building patent portfolios of their own trying to balance the long-inclined situation. The result is yet determined. Meanwhile, since patent portfolio is usually deemed as part of achievement by R&D departments, the IP department who actually handle patent applications and build the patent portfolio receive only very limited credits. In order to more correctly present their importance and indispensability, IP people will need some more convincing facts other than the ‘number” of issued patents, which has already juiced by R&D department. However, methods for the valuation of patent portfolio available today are insufficient to meet both needs, to show at least (1) what IP department actually contribute and (2) whether the costly patent portfolio accomplishes what originally expected, i.e., reduction of royalty payment. In this article, several factors are analyzed for patent portfolio with a statistical model, and the empirical study employed herein furnishes reasonable outcomes.